White, Portia

  • From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: See full biography at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portia_White
  • Wiki Biography Notes:
    • Portia May White was born June 24, 1911, in Truro, Nova Scotia, the third of 13 children born to Izie Dora (White) and William Andrew White. Her mother was a descendant of Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia, while her father was the son of former slaves from Virginia; he moved to Canada independently. William attended Acadia University in Nova Scotia, later becoming the first Black Canadian to receive a Doctor of Divinity from Acadia. After the First World War, the White family moved to Halifax, and William became the minister of Cornwallis Street Baptist Church.
    • White has been declared a person of national historic significance by the Government of Canada, and she was featured in a special issue of Millennium postage stamps celebrating Canadian achievement. At the 2007 East Coast Music Awards, White was posthumously honoured with a Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the namesake of Portia White Court, a Halifax street, as well as the Portia White Atrium in Citadel High School.
  • Third Great Granddaughter of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=14100
  • Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/231607412/portia-may-white